Off the Screen: Computations, Animations

Note: A general admission ticket does not guarantee admission to special programs with limited seating. There is limited capacity for this program; seats are available on a first-come, first served-basis.

Even as the development of computers was in its nascent stage, a rich tradition of artistic experimentation emerged alongside each technological advance. In conjunction with the Exploratorium’s look back at the seminal 1969 exhibition Cybernetic Serendipity, we are celebrating the tradition of filmmakers using computer technology to shape the cinematic experience. Tracing the phenomena from its visual music roots, through developments in experimental tech labs, to currently modern experiments like glitch art, this program features cinematic works that expand, upend, and subvert computer technology. Films include Permutations (John Whitney, 1966), Symmetricks (Stan Vanderbeek, 1972), and Hummingbird (Charles Csuri, 1967).